BREVARD, N.C. - The tandem of Miles Leathers and Demarcus Threatt was not to be denied again.
After each put up his most impressive individual performance of the season in back-to-back narrow losses, one of the South Atlantic Conference's most dynamic duos combined for 46 points on 16-for-25 shooting to lift Brevard (3-15, 2-10 SAC) to a season sweep over visiting Coker (6-12, 2-12 SAC) by a 74-65 count.
Leathers scored 18 of Brevard's first 25 points, almost singlehandedly keeping the Tornados' offense afloat throughout the first half. The senior forward, who was 12-for-14 from the field in Monday's eight-point loss at No. 9 Queens, made all eight of his first-half field goal attempts before D.J. Bostick, Stevie Williams, and Threatt each connected from beyond the arc on Brevard's final three possessions of the half to give the Tornados a 34-25 lead at the break.
Those nine unanswered points finished off a 14-1 run spanning the final 2:55 of the half that Leathers began with a nifty layup and three-point basket, both assisted by Threatt. The Cobras cut the advantage to five points three times in the second half, but were never able to recover from the 13-point swing as the teams finished deadlocked at 40 points in the second half.
The Cobras defended Leathers more carefully after halftime, opening the door for Threatt to pick up the load in the second half. The junior guard scored 15 of his 22 points after the intermission, while Alex Moe scored all nine of his points in the second half. He also finished the game with eight rebounds and three assists. Stevie Williams chipped in 10 points, his third double-digit scoring effort of the season.
Williams and Threatt each tallied six assists, while Leathers and Moe finished with four and three, respectively. Brevard finished with 21 assists on 26 made baskets, its largest ratio of assists to field goals in the last seven seasons.
Brevard took advantage of a long Cobras' drought to pull away. The Tornados held Coker without a field goal from the 11:08 mark of the second half until Samuels hit a triple with 4:18 remaining. The Cobras managed just six free throws during the nearly seven-minute stretch, while Moe contributed seven of his points in the span to help Brevard build its largest lead at 14 points.
The Tornados earned the nine-point victory despite being outscored 22-3 in bench points, 15-6 on second-chance opportunities, and 23-17 off turnovers. Brevard was able to slash through the Cobras' defense to create easy opportunities around the rim while forcing Coker to settle for outside jump shots. Brevard held a dominant 34-10 advantage in the paint.
The Cobras attempted 31 three-point field goals in the game, actually shooting at a higher clip (38.7 percent) than on their 33 two-point opportunities (30.3 percent). The Tornados, meanwhile, shot 54.2 percent from the floor, their second-best shooting performance of the season behind Monday's 58.8 percent effort at Queens.
Brevard will play its fourth game in eight days on Monday, welcoming Mars Hill to Boshamer Gymnasium on Monday evening to play a game postponed from Jan. 20 by weather. Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m.
To keep up with all the latest information about the Tornados, "Like" our Brevard College Tornado Athletics Facebook page or follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @BCTornados.
Featured image courtesy of Shawn Millsaps.
